The Standouts of 2017: Chun Wai Chan in Laura Gutierrez's "The Back Room"

In February, Houston Ballet first soloist Chun Wai Chan ventured out of his comfort zone to work with independent choreographer Laura Gutierrez for an immersive interactive duet called The Back Room—and the result was incredible. The audience had to accommodate the moving dancers for this site-specific work, created for Houston's leading indie theater space The Rec Room. Chan had no trouble clearing a bench full of people to make room for his dancing.

Chan in Laura Gutierrez's "The Back Room." Photo by Lynn Lane, Courtesy Chan.

The two were remarkably well-matched in style and temperament. Chan, who had just shown off his classical chops as the Prince in The Nutcracker, completely understood Gutierrez's stripped-down aesthetic and embraced her improvisational methods. "Usually people tell me what to do at the ballet, and I'm very good at doing it right," he says. "But in this project Laura gave a clear structure, and I filled it out with what I thought was right." Chan is on the rise as it is, but The Back Room was a bold step toward independence and stretching his skill set.

A white tulle dress, time travel, the Eiffel Tower at night... these elements come together in Until Midnight, a new dance film by Christopher Alexander of Zen Film Works. This eight-minute long vignette opens with Louise (played by Louise Schirmer), a former ballerina now living alone in old age. Through the delivery of a mysterious letter and a wristwatch from her past, she returns briefly to her youthful self, danced by former Washington Ballet dancer Brittany Cavaco. In a Cinderella-like twist, Louise has until midnight to find her beloved Jean Pierre (Sebastien Thill, former dancer with Paris Opera Ballet and Hamburg Ballet) for one last dance. According to Cavaco, all of the movement was improvised, created by herself and Alexander in each location.

"People have so much fear associated with arabesque turns," says Peter Boal, artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet. Here, he shares images and ideas to help you confidently master this advanced pirouette. "It's a real accomplishment when you can put it all together."

Hollywood may have the Oscars, but ballet has the Prix de Benois de la Danse. Held every spring at Moscow's Bolshoi Theater, the prestigious international awards ceremony recognizes dancers, choreographers, composers and designers for their extraordinary work on and off the stage. This year's laureates, chosen by a jury, were announced during an awards ceremony last night, followed by a star-studded gala featuring many of the nominated artists.

American Ballet Theatre principal James Whiteside is known for more than just his uber-charismatic presence on the ballet stage; He doubles as both the drag queen Ühu Betch and the pop star JbDubs. Whiteside's newest musical release, titled WTF, came out last week, and is for sure his most ballet-filled song to date. Both the lyrics and the choreography are jam-packed with bunhead references, from theRose Adagio to Haglund's Heel to a framed portrait of George Balanchine. Not to mention the fact that he and his four backup dancers (Matthew Poppe, Douane Gosa, Maxfield Haynes and Gianni Goffredo) absolutely kill it in pointe shoes.